Larry Neville, who organizes “Cruise at the Beach” on Friday night at Ruby’s in Redondo Beach, shows off his 1934 Ford Sedan Deluxe. Photo by Carina Glasser

At 3 p.m. every Friday the parking lot at Ruby’s Diner is transformed into a car lover’s paradise. Vintage Cadillacs, Buicks, Corvettes, and every car in between drive to Ruby’s “Cruise at the Beach.”

The car show began in 1997 with only 12 to 15 cars. Now, close to 250 show up every week. People from across the South Bay come to show off their cars, or drool over something they wish was parked in their garage.

“It’s open to everyone,” said Larry Neville, the car show’s coordinator. “You don’t have to own a pre-1970 to join the show.”

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Neville took over the car show in 2003 after helping as an assistant for five years. He has two passions: golf, and his own classic car that he brings down to Ruby’s every Friday.

“I bought it in ‘98 as a rust bucket and it took me almost four years to put it together,” he said. “There were only two years that they made this car with suicide doors, and I have always wanted them for looks.”

When he’s not running the car show, Neville works as a sales representative at Plaza Golf. To pull his love for golf into his car he added a golf club frame around his license plate that reads ‘Larrs34’

“My nickname is Larrbear,” he said, “I even have three paw prints on the back of the car that represent my three daughters.”

All the car enthusiasts that show up share the need to show off their ride.

“You can bring any car you want down here as long, as it’s nice,” Neville joked. “In the old days these cars had personalities – there are muscle cars, street rods, hot rods, and trucks. Each one of them with their own qualities.”

Tony Desimone’s 1930 Model A Ford. Photo by Carina Glasser

Boys with cars

Like Neville, many of the car owners that attend the show have developed an intense passion for this hobby.

“Some of these guys have four or five cars,” he said. “A lot of them built the cars of their dreams.”

“It’s bright, shiny, and loud,” he declared. “I did everything on that car except the paint.”

“I have come to this show since it started,” Desimone added. “We all have a common interest in cars and that makes it pretty fun.”

Desimone owns four classic cars and two classic motorcycles. He knows just how passionate people get when it comes to collecting cars.

“We all get so wrapped up in our cars,” he said. “Staying up late designing and spending all the money to make them perfect.”

Although he enjoys bringing the car to shows, his favorite thing is just driving it.

“I get a lot of thumbs up, and ‘Oh man, what is that?’” Desimone said. “Any age from 8 to 80 is interested, and young kids just say ‘What the heck is that?’”

Desimone loves cars from the 30s so much his phone number even ends in 1930. He loves classics for their unique qualities and design.

“How can you be interested in the cars today? All of the shapes are pretty much the same,” he said. “You can change the color, put in a louder speaker or change the wheels but the shape is still common. But when these cars were built it was all about being unique.”

The car king

When Richard Tupper parked a 1938 Cadillac Fleetwood Limousine in the parking lot a crowd immediately gathered around it.

“I have had that car for 20 years and it needed to be restored,” he said. “The original length was five feet shorter but we stretched it.”

This classic was one of four that he brought with him that day. Tupper actually owns 109 classic cars.

“I used to walk to school in the late 50s and early 60s and I saw all these old cars go by that the rich kids had,” Tupper recalled. “I told myself if I ever get any money I’m going to have all those cars, and so I did.”

Many collectors hope to own four or five cars, maybe ten if the find money, time, and space. Tupper’s 109 cars are in the rarefied upper echelon of car collecting. He said he goes through a lot of polish.

“I’m lucky to be able to own them,” he said. “I just happen to love old cars.”

He keeps his cars in two air-conditioned warehouses in Gardena. Tupper even turned one warehouse into a drive-in movie theatre.

Richard Tupper’s red brigade. Photo by Carina Glasser

Every car he owns is 1959 or older and he works on them himself. Tupper’s favorite car color is red. He owns about 25 red cars. Three of those red cars accompanied the Cadillac Limousine to Ruby’s last Friday.

“I have a favorite car for everything,” Tupper said. “I have a favorite for going to dinner, driving to Vegas, racing, going to the beach. The event determines which one’s my favorite.”

His collection will keep growing. His intention is to bring a different car to Ruby’s every week.